“I have to be honest,” Beau said. “It would go a hell of a lot better if she was with you.”
“She won’t be.”
“Why not?”
“Dammit, Beau, I’ll be fighting for my son alone. That is all you need to know.” He wasn’t discussing his marriage with Beau or anyone else.
“Okay,” Beau muttered.
Jake’s eyes caught Beau’s. “What are my chances?”
“If Ben has severe problems and these people know how to care for him and he’s familiar with them, a judge’ll think twice before removing him from their home. Being the biological father carries a lot of weight, though. I’ll look up some case law and see if we can even the odds.”
“Thanks, but…”
“But what?”
Jake had trouble expressing what he felt. He cleared his throat. “I want what’s best for Ben and I feel that’s being with me, but I haven’t seen him yet. The Fosters might be able to give him more than I can. If that’s the case, I’ll have to leave him there.”
A slight grin tugged at Beau’s mouth.
Jake frowned. “Why are you smiling?”
“I was thinking that to do what’s best for your son, you might have to relinquish your claim on him—like Mom did with you.”
Jake drew in a long breath. “I don’t want to get into that again.”
“There’re two sides to every story, Jake. One of these days, you might want to hear the other side.”
Jake stood. “I’d better go. I want to be ready when Ms. Woods calls.”
“Call me after you see Ben and let me know your decision.”
“All I can think right now is that I want my son,” Jake said. “That won’t change unless Ben is in such bad shape that I’m unable to handle him. I don’t know anything about kids, but I’m willing to learn. I’m bracing myself for the worst and hoping I can be the father Ben needs. He may need more than me, though. That’s what I have to find out.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Jake.” Beau stopped him.
Jake turned back.
“Give me the word and I’ll fight for you any way I can.”
They stared at each other, two brothers with different points of view bound together by blood—the most powerful connection in the world.
“Thanks,” Jake replied, and walked out.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHEN JAKE WALKED INTO the kitchen, the phone was ringing. He immediately picked it up. Ms. Woods’s voice came through, clear and impatient. “Mr. McCain, I’ve set up a meeting for four o’clock today. Is that fast enough?”
“Yes, thanks.” He felt a moment of relief.
“I’ll meet you at the office in Houston. The address is on the card I gave you. When you get to Houston, Mrs. Turner, head of our department, will want to explain the situation more fully.”
When were they going to stop explaining things to him and just let him see his son? “Fine,” he said.
“Try to get there a little after three. I know that’s rushing it, but—”
He cut her off. “I’ll be there, and thanks again, Ms. Woods.”
As he hung up, a sense of excitement ran through him. He was finally meeting Ben—his son—and he didn’t have any time to waste. It was already after eleven. He ran into his aunt Vin on the patio.
“Where’re you going in such a rush?” she asked.
Jake grinned. “To see my son.”
Aunt Vin patted his shoulder. “That’s wonderful. When will you bring him home?”
The grin left his face. “It’s a long story and I’m in a hurry. We’ll talk tonight.”
“I’ll be at bingo,” she shouted after him.
“I’ll talk to you in the morning, then.”
“Okay. Drive carefully.”
Jake made a stop at the barn to talk to Mike, to check if there were any problems he couldn’t handle. There weren’t. The machines were out of the fields and the cotton was stored in modules waiting to be taken to the gin. Wags jumped into the truck.
“Sorry, boy, you can’t go,” Jake said, pulling him out by the collar.
Wags whined in protest.
“You can ride with Mike and I’ll be home tonight.”
With Wags barking loudly, Jake climbed into his truck and within minutes he was on the highway to Houston.
He didn’t know what he’d find when he arrived, but as he’d told Beau, he was preparing for the worst. Ms. Woods hadn’t said Ben was mentally challenged. He was just slow. Did that mean the same thing? He wasn’t sure and it didn’t matter. Ben was his son and he’d love him no matter what.
Sherry crossed his mind and Jake wondered again how she could have abandoned her own son. He grunted. What was he thinking? Women abandoned children all the time—children who didn’t have anything wrong with them—like his mother had abandoned him. He still felt a queasiness in his belly from just seeing her. Beau had said there were two sides to every story, but he was wrong. His father had been a hardworking man who loved his family, and his mother had had an affair and become pregnant. She had destroyed a home and a family and Jake couldn’t see any other side than that.
Gently rolling hills, dense woods, farms and ranches flashed by as he drove through Hearne to College Station to Navasota and hit Highway 290 into Houston. The highway merged with Loop 610 South, and as he negotiated heavy traffic, that sense of excitement returned. He couldn’t stop thinking how much more thrilled he’d be if Elise was with him, but she wasn’t.
He wondered how she was. He’d purposefully tried not to think about her, which was impossible because she was always there at the back of his mind. Had she seen an attorney yet? Probably, he decided. What they’d shared was something basic to her. To him, it had developed into something much more.
He had been so shocked when she’d called and asked him out. He didn’t date women like Elise Weber—beautiful, educated and with an air of being untouchable. He preferred women who were soft and natural. Not that Elise wasn’t those things. She just seemed way out of his reach. That was his first impression, but then he got to know her and she was a completely different person. He responded to her warmth and vitality. They seemed to be able to talk forever. He wasn’t a guy who liked to talk, but with her it came easy.
He shifted uncomfortably as he realized Elise had been in control from the start. She knew what she wanted and she didn’t have any problem getting him. Hell, after that first date, he wanted her like crazy. Elise had been a big surprise in the bedroom. Her cool professorial facade disappeared into a warm, inviting woman, and that sensuality blinded him to the problems in their marriage. Her dead husband’s picture on the nightstand was a big example. So many times he’d resisted the urge to knock the damn thing to the floor, but he respected her enough not to do that. He kept waiting for her to remove it. That never happened. And it hurt. His feelings didn’t matter to her.
He didn’t have to worry about Elise, though. She’d be fine because her emotions weren’t involved—not the ones that counted, anyway. It bothered him that he’d hurt her, and it would be a while before he’d lose the feelings he had for her…if ever. She loved someone else and she’d told him that up